Nursing Strike.........ARGGGHHH!

Hopefully some of you may have come across this and can offer some advice.
For the past week Samantha has started screaming when I try and breast feed her. It starts when I lay her down to feed her so before she even gets a taste of the boob. We have had her checked by the doctor and she doesn't have anything visible wrong or earaches etc. She does it with Pamol on board and without, the reaction doesn't change. She doesn't have sore shoulders or anything like that either and it's not the taste of my milk because she will take it from a bottle.
Every feed is becoming a fight with her and it is really upsetting me. I am guessing it is a Nursing strike, but am not really sure. I have rung Plunket but they were no help at all and basically said there is nothing they can do about it.
Help?

What is she like if you just cuddle her and not show her the breast at all??

having just been through a loooong nursing strike with jordis, i can honestly say it is the most stressful thing ever! she wouldnt take ANY liquid at all, from bottle, or boob, or cup, or spoon.

first thing i did, was ditch her dummy (not sure if sam has one or not) she was getting all her comfort off it, and not me. took a morning of crying before she got the idea, now she is fine without it, but does feed more off me than she has in a long time.

second, was give dreamfeeds. although jordis is sleeping through the night, i would feed her at 11, at 2.30, and at 6 - i would wake her for it. even at the worst of it she would feed in her sleepy state, so that was how i got most of the liquids into her.

it was slightly different for us as jordis is on solids, and was still taking a small amount of that, so wasnt total starvation but keep a close eye on how much wees she is doing, and the smell of it. write down how often you offer boob, when she refuses, when she drinks and how long, and what her output is like - wees and poos. and if she is still not drinking in a day or so, take her back to the doctor.

sorry you didnt have much luck at plunket, i had so much support from plunket down here, i am so grateful for all the advice i got given!

other things to try:
have a bath with sam, and lots of skin to skin time with her. lie on your bed with your top off and sam in her nappy, with your boob close to her, but no pressure to latch, iykwim. try different feeding positions to feed her - sitting with her straddling my lap facing me sitting up was one that was reccomended, but jordis is too tall for that now.
keep sam with you as often as you can, in a sling or frontpack. just spend the next few days riding it out, getting her comfortable with you and being close to you.

good luck!

It is so frustrating! Especially because there is not pattern to it. She is happy to be cuddled in that position, but just won't eat! And yet this morning she went on no problems or fuss and had a really good feed, but chances are the next feed she has another fit!

Janine, I do have a fast let down and we have just finished a growth spurt so maybe that is the reason. She certainly has had a few times where she has choked and pulled off in a panic, but then has gone straight back on after that. I will try a few different positions and some of Lyla's ideas of skin to skin etc and see if we can get her associating good things with it again

Thanks so much to everyone for their responses so far. It is just good to know that other people have been through similar things and can understand my frustration and worry. It is also great to hear that most of you have come out the other side of it eventually

hmmmm hadnt thought of the dummy....same concept as getting too used to a bottle??? boobbie tastes a lot different!

with the dummy, she will be getting comfort off it. if you ditch it even for just during the day, she will comfort feed off you instead of comfort sucking on the dummy. you can still use it for naps and sleeps if sam needs it.

i swear i wouldnt have believed it if i hadnt have seen it with jordis!

Dummy has been ditched   Thanks for the advise ladies

Yup, up at midnight. After I put miss grisslebum to bed I always give her half and hour before I go to bed. Just in case....
Night wasn't too bad, she slept from 11.30 till 7.30 this morning. Not as long as normal for her, but she had also slept most of yesterday and had pretty much been in bed since 7pm apart from feeds and changes.
I think yesterday was her getting over her high temperatures on Tuesday.
Good news is that she is still feeding better, still not perfect, but she is taking the breast more than she is not.

I hear you have a giggle me Ella :)

LMAO Rochelle My husband read this and said he wishes I would do that for him in the middle of the night. Put a boobie in his face that is......not feed him with it

I have figured out today that if Sam rejects the boobie she will take it in a rugby hold, so we are all good. I just have to get a bit better at that one now I only offer it that way if she packs a wobbly with the normal cradle position though.